Dr. Antonello Bonci is the President and Founder of GIA Healthcare. He left UCSF in 2010, where he was Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Neurology. Before moving to GIA Miami, he was the Scientific Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the NIH.  He is known worldwide for his pioneering studies on the long-term effects of stress and drug exposure on the brain.  Dr. Bonci is also one of the pioneers in the research and application of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

Barbara J. Mason, Ph.D. is Director of the Pearson Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, and tenured Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA. Dr. Mason is world renowned for her work in the development of medications for treating alcohol use disorder. She conducted the seminal studies identifying nalmefene (Selincro) as having therapeutic potential for alcohol dependence and served as overall Principal Investigator for the U.S. multicenter trial of acamprosate (Campral) for the treatment of alcohol dependence which was conducted in support of US FDA approval. Dr. Mason has served on the National Advisory Councils of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She has served as a guest expert for the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and as a reviewer of research grants for NIAAA, NIDA and the Medical Research Council (MRC) of the UK. Dr. Mason is an elected Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and has served as field editor for Neuropsychopharmacology, as a member of multiple editorial boards, including Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Journal of Substance Abuse, and Journal of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Mason is currently conducting a program of NIH-funded research that includes human laboratory studies to screen medications for therapeutic potential and clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of novel medications for alcohol use disorder. Dr. Mason holds the Pearson Family Chair, an endowed professorship in alcohol and addiction research at The Scripps Research Institute.  Dr. Mason’s work in medication development for the treatment of substance use disorder has been recognized with the Smithers Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Society of Addiction Medicine, a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Dean’s Senior Clinical Research Award from the University of Miami School of Medicine, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Teacher-Scientist Award from Weill Cornell University Medical College.

 Dr. Hanlon is a globally recognized pioneer in the non-invasive neuromodulation field.  She is particularly well known for her contributions to developing TMS as a non-invasive therapeutic tool for addiction. Prior to joining BrainsWay in 2022 as the Vice President of Medical Affairs and Director of the Innovation Team at BrainsWay, Dr. Hanlon was a tenured professor at the Wake Forest School of Medicine wherein she ran the Clinical Neuromodulation Laboratory. During her 17 years of academic research, she received over $12 million in National Institute of Health funding and led over 15 clinical studies of TMS.  She has published over 100  peer-reviewed publications, and mentored over 70 trainees in brain imaging and TMS.  

In 2023 she received the International Brain Stimulation Early Career Investigator award.  She is the senior author on the inaugural ‘Consensus Paper’ on Non-Invasive Therapeutic Development for Addiction.

Raised in Florida, Dr. Hanlon attended the University of Florida. She received a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Duke University in 2005.  She is actively engaged in education and training in brain stimulation, nationally and internationally, and derives intense satisfaction from teaching others about the science, research, and practicalities of delivering new TMS therapeutics to patients.

 Eva Ritvo, MD, a psychiatrist with over 30 years’ experience practicing in Miami, Florida, is the author of Bekindr – The Transformative Power of Kindness.

She is also the co-founder of the Bold Beauty Project  (BBP), a nonprofit that pairs women with disabilities with award-winning photographers to create art exhibitions to raise awareness. 

A regular on major media, Dr. Ritvo frequently provides expert commentary on TV & radio and is often a source for journalists. She is a segment host of the PBS series, TechVersify, and the co-author of The Beauty Prescription and The Concise Guide to Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Ritvo is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Clinical Psychiatry News and inaugural Health and Wellness columnist at The Beverly Hills Courier. 

Dr. Ritvo is the former Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the former Vice-Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. She’s a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatry Association and a member of the American College of Psychiatrists. She was honored as the United Cerebral Palsy National Volunteer of the Year, The 2018 Women Worth Knowing Award by the Miami Commission for Women for Contribution to the Community in the field of Healthcare, and awarded the 2019 Clare Boothe Luce Award from the Luce Foundation. Dr. Ritvo received her undergraduate and medical degrees from UCLA and psychiatry residency training at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Dr. Larry Brooks is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and licensed psychologist in private practice in South Florida. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. at the University of Miami, a clinical internship at the Yale University School of Medicine, and a fellowship in neuropsychology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He then became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Miami.

He serves as the Clinical Director of Baptist Health’s Brain Injury and Concussion Clinics. He conducts psychotherapy and neuropsychological assessments with individuals suffering with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Gonzalo Quesada is a dual Board-Certified Psychiatrist from The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and The American Board of Addiction Medicine. He completed his internship at the University of Havana and his residency training in Psychiatry at the University of Miami. Dr. Quesada has worked as a psychiatrist and medical detox physician since 2003. He specialized in managing psychosocial stressors associated with the vast array of dual diagnoses of mental health issues. This may include but is not limited to depression, anxiety, PTSD, MDD, SUD, ADHD, and/or any other mental issues confounding the patient’s diagnosis. Dr. Quesada works in a comprehensive psychosocial approach that looks at an individual’s physical and mental wellness and ultimately helps to increase the patient’s ability to function.

Dr. Patricia Ares-Romero is the Chief Medical Officer of Dr. Ares and Associates Consulting, responsible for expanding the behavioral health offerings and substance use treatment locally and nationally. Dr. Ares-Romero is double board-certified and a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Preventive Medicine as a specialist in Addiction Medicine. As an accomplished senior executive and thought leader with vast experience in leading innovative behavioral health initiatives, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her clients. 

Dr. Ares-Romero has had repeated success in building and leading cutting-edge behavioral healthcare and is responsible for expanding healthcare offerings throughout many states with various organizations and institutions.  She is President-elect for the Dade County Medical Association and board member for The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-Miami-Dade County). Also, she was an Associate Professor for the University of Miami School of Medicine, for the Departments of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology – Pain Medicine Fellowship. In 2017, during the Opioid Epidemic, she was appointed by Mayor Gimenez to The Miami-Dade County Opioid Addiction Task Force. She is the Chairperson of the Addiction Advisory Board for Miami-Dade County. She also serves on the Health Impact Council for United Way Miami-Dade County. 

Dr. Ares-Romero also has extensive experience in the corrections health services arena and underserved populations, managing clinical operations and strategic planning for the largest county jails in South Florida. She served as the Chief Medical Officer for Jackson Behavioral Health System, implementing various programs throughout the health system. She pioneered the first medication-assisted treatment clinic at Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital and piloted a medical home model (integrated behavioral health) and treatment-resistant clinic, among other healthcare initiatives. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, she was instrumental in implementing telemedicine to enhance patient care, reduce exposure, and keep the front lines safe. Dr. Ares-Romero has been awarded grants through the Substance Abuse and Medical Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the Florida  Drug & Alcohol Abuse Association (FADAA). 

She has received numerous awards. Most recently, she received the Healthcare Champion Behavioral Health Advocacy in June 2023 from the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She was awarded the Prestigious Woman 

Award in 2022 from South Florida Business and Wealth, was named a Hispanic Woman of Distinction in 2020 by Latinas in Medicine, received the Woman of Inspiration Award in 2019 

from the Perlas de Esperanza Foundation, and was named a Most Powerful Woman in Healthcare in 2017 by the Healthcare Information and Management System Society. As a bilingual subject matter expert, Dr. Ares-Romero has addressed local and national groups and appeared on various national and local news organizations such as U.S. News and World 

Report, The Miami Herald, The Washington Post, Voices of America, Babel Press, NPR, Univision national and local news, Telemundo, and Mega TV.

Eneida O. Roldan, MD, MPH, MBA is founding faculty of the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Currently, she serves in multiple roles at the College of Medicine, including Chief Executive Officer of FIU Health Care Network, Associate Dean for International Affairs, Associate Dean for the Master in Physician Assistant Studies, and Professor. As a founding faculty, she collaborated in developing the Professionalism Strand Curriculum at the College of Medicine. As the Associate Dean of International Affairs, she has partnered with 61 countries and 345 universities globally since 2013. Before her current role at FIU, she served as President and CEO of Jackson Health System, being the first woman and first Hispanic person to lead the public safety net health system.

Dr. Roldan has served in numerous leadership and executive roles in national and international organizations and medical and certification boards and has extensive experience in media as a spokesperson in health policy, healthcare management, leadership, and obesity. She has authored several scientific papers and chapters in medical textbooks on obesity, mentorship, healthcare leadership, and management and has been honored with numerous awards in Medicine and Business. She was recently featured in the Science and Technology chapter with her biography as a healthcare administrator in the book Cuban American Women Making History, published in 2023.

In addition to her Medical, Public Health, and Business degrees, Dr. Roldan has attended executive programs in education, leadership, and business at Harvard Institute of Higher Education, Thunderbird School of Global Management, and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, where she is an Alumnus, Wharton Fellow, and an Aresty Scholar. She serves on the Executive Education Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Dr. Roldan led the COVID-19 efforts as Chair of the FIU University Healthcare task force on testing, vaccination, and media appearances. She was chosen by the AAMC and CDC COVID-19 project to educate the public on vaccine hesitancy in the Hispanic population. She appeared in international, national, and local media, delivering scientific, evidence-based information on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.

Dr. Moreno graduated from the University of Havana School of Medicine in 1994, completed their Family Medicine Residency in 1998, and a Neurosurgery Residency in 2004 after being awarded the International Fellowship Award in Pediatric Neurosurgery from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. 

In 2005, Dr. Moreno moved to Canada, where he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and two more years of Research Fellowship at Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery of the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Moreno moved to Miami, Florida, in 2010, where he has since been dedicated to Clinical Research on Neuroscience and Mental Wellness, completing hundreds of clinical trials. Dr. Moreno is a certified principal investigator, a certified clinical research professional, and a board-certified practitioner by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. His main areas of expertise are in the field of Neuroscience, he has mainly focused on applying Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on patients with Depression, OCD, Anxiety, Addictions, Pain, PTSD, Stroke and dementia using the state of the art technology he was trained with during his years of practice of Neurosurgery. Dr.Moreno enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and being at the ocean in his free time. He is also passionate about helping people in need.